Is it a plateau, brick wall or what???

Hang in there, Riley! I am in the same boat as you are, although I DID finally see a 1 pound loss for this week's weigh-in. Still, I'm scared to death I will get on the scale next time and that 1 pound will be back! I've been struggling back and forth with 2 lbs for about 7 weeks now. So I understand your frustration completely!

I can't see your diary, by the way.

What do you have your daily activity level set at and how many pounds to lose a week? That amount of calories actually sounds like it could be too low, especially with exercise.

I went two weeks without losing a pound while staying close to my 1,500 calorie limit, then gained a pound the next week.. Three weeks and I have +1 to show for it! Then I weighed this morning and I've lost 4.5 lbs since my last weigh in. I didnt give up, although I was a little discouraged. I feel happy that I stuck with the calorie limit and exercise--I was hoping it would pay off. Plus I have a psycho scale and dont trust it for daily weigh ins--only over the course of a number of consistant weigh-ins do I feel like its true. Plus, as everyone preaches, its in the inches, not the lbs. Stick with it and eventually your body and scale will catch up with your effort and motivation!

Help!!! I haven't lost any weight in about 6 weeks!!! I've been staying close to my calorie goals, and have even begun exercising more. About 2 weeks or so ago, I input my lower weight, and MFP reset my daily calorie goal from 1380 to 1250 per day. Please feel free to look at my diary. It is getting very frustrating to work so hard and remain committed when I'm not seeing any results. :explode:

My trainer once told me that if you are still losing inches, even if you're not losing lbs it is not a plateau. Still, I know that we measure a lot of our effort by the scale. You might try eating different meals at different times ie. breakfast for dinner, a salad with protein for breakfast, calorie cycling, etc.

I have to agree with your friend jg - just took a quick look and although you stay within your calories, there are days when you go over in your fats and/or sodium. Try adding in some more homemade things, more veggies and more fruit and see if that makes a difference. Check out the recipe message board - lots of good suggestions there.

Maybe try eating a good breakfast more consistently too. That old cliche about the most important meal of the day may be corny but it's true!

And please, above all, just start out small with little changes so you're not getting overwhelmed or feeling deprived. As someone else said, we're all different so you have to try little changes and see what works for you and then it'll all come together.

Good for you for starting to exercise!! Keep up the good work

I'm back home now and had a chance to review your diary, now that you have it public. I think it was wise of you to increase your calories because expecting a consistent weight loss of 2lbs per week is not the best choice. You have to to work on being more in tune with your needs. If you have anxiety then that is a red flag to reevaluate! Remember that! You should make changes that are sustainable so that you can be happy with them and stay on track.

First things first though. I want to congratulate you for giving up smoking several years ago! WOW! That is no easy feat. I know this because I quit smoking in 1997 (the day I found out I was pregnant with my oldest) and it is tough. If you were able to achieve that then I KNOW you can achieve this!

I want to address the fact that your profile states you have both hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Have you seen a registered dietitian to learn how to count your carbs? If so, did she give you a goal to shoot for when having meals and snacks? Were you diagnosed with type 2 diabetes based on a simple glucose test or did they check your A1C levels? If you have had them done, then you know what I'm talking about. The BEST way to improve both the hypertension and the diabetes is to lower your body weight. Which you are doing! Way to go! You have specific nutritional needs though with both of these conditions. If you want me to address this with you, message me and we will discuss.

I also want to mention QUALITY of foods. Because we just met, I don't know anything about your lifestyle. It looks like when you do eat breakfast, you prefer something you can grab on the go. Lunch is often on the go as well and sometimes you cook dinner. This is a guess based on what I see in your diary. Do you like to cook? Are you too busy to cook? Do you LIKE breakfast? I see a lot of processed foods that are high in simple carbs and sodium. You must work on making changes in that area if you want to improve your hypertension and diabetes. You need to consume more nutrient-dense foods. Do you like vegetables? Fruits? I see you like clementines, which is GREAT! They are full of wonderful nutrients, but you need more than just clementines. Try not to feel overwhelmed. Make small changes and take it one day at a time. I've been doing this since September and I think it is best to make a few changes, master them, and then add a few more.

I genuinely believe that if you continue to be as determined as you are and work on the quality of foods you are eating, add a little more exercise (which you mentioned you plan to do), bring down your sodium intake and get more control over your carb intake that you will continue to see success. Be patient and willing to keep making small changes, and you will kick that plateau to the curb soon enough!

I know I look like an incredibly nosy woman, but I have a background in nutrition. This certainly doesn't mean I know it all but I am very familiar with biological and metabolic processes and how nutrition (whether good or bad) effects our bodies. It's also why I ask so many questions. I will do what I can to help you from afar!